Locals know best

Aug 19 was that fateful day in 2003 when the United Nations headquarters in Iraq was bombed and 19 people were killed, including the UN’s chief diplomat, Sergio Vieira de Mello. – 123rf.com

AMONG the many international days that are commemorated there is none that resonates with me as much as World Humani-tarian Day, which falls on Aug 19 each year.

Why Aug 19? It was that fateful day in 2003 when the United Nations headquarters in Iraq was bombed and 19 people were killed, including the UN’s chief diplomat, Sergio Vieira de Mello. It was also in that same year and country that my colleagues and I were injured while on a humanitarian mission.